(Newser)
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Sarah Palin is really asking for it, writes Thomas Friedman in the New York Times, when she blithely criticizes paying taxes as unpatriotic—especially when Uncle Sam needs the cash to pay for wars and a bailout that she supports. Does Palin "think borrowing money from China is more patriotic than raising it in taxes from Americans?" It takes some nerve to support the bailout and call the taxes to pay for it unpatriotic.

In the midst of “an economic perfect storm, only good governance can save us,” Friedman writes, confounded how conservatives can “write with a straight face” that Palin should be VP. And while she professes expertise in energy, Friedman dismisses her drilling plans as prolonging America's dependence on oil. “Patriotic is offering a plan to build our economy—not by tax cuts or punching more holes in the ground.”